Gunnar Danbolt inspired the concept in the Spring 2008. He recommended us to contact the St Olav Festival.
"I have had the opportunity to study at close range Catrine Gangstø's Project ‘Peacepainting’ and I am very impressed with what she has achieved. Encouraging children to draw and paint, is in itself not particularly difficult, but the result is rarely interesting.
So I must admit that I had not great expectations when I first went to see these drawings. But I was surprised, very surprised, because these children, who Catrine Gangstø had taught, showed both the form and terms of coloristic maturity that was likely to surprise, while they also had a message to convey. There was no doubt that the images were made by children, but they had acquired some experience that enabled them to exploit the limitations of what the not yet fully developed motor abilities had set for them.
In short - Catrine Gangstø had taught them a visual style that made it possible for them to express their thoughts and feelings. When she today has created a larger project to run a peace-building work across borders, I can only warmly recommend it. This is a project that deserves all possible support, because it is the children who represent our future.”
Sincerely, Gunnar Danbolt"